A report highlighted the importance to the NHS of the protected working time allotted to consultants for improving the quality and efficiency of services, and expressed concerns about moves to cut it.
Source: Quality Time: The value of consultants' Supporting Professional Activities to the NHS, British Medical Association
Links: Report | BMA press release
Date: 2010-Dec
The government began consultation on proposals to establish a new workforce, education, and training structure in the National Health Service – one driven by patient need and led by local healthcare providers.
Source: Liberating the NHS: Developing the Healthcare Workforce, Department of Health
Links: Consultation document | Summary | Hansard | DH press release | BMA press release | REC press release
Date: 2010-Dec
A review of the medical foundation programme (the training scheme for junior doctors introduced in 2005) raised concerns about appropriate supervision of junior doctors, and said that they had to perform tasks that were beyond their level of competence. It recommended a more appropriate spread of placements to ensure greater experience in community settings.
Source: John Collins, Foundation for Excellence: An evaluation of the Foundation Programme, Medical Education England
Links: Report | MEE press release | DH statement | BMA press release | RCOG press release | Telegraph report | BBC report
Date: 2010-Nov
The report was published of a review of the regulation of public health professionals. It called for the introduction of mandatory regulation of public health consultants and specialists by statutory health professional regulatory bodies.
Source: Gabriel Scally, Review of the Regulation of Public Health Professionals, Department of Health
Links: Report
Date: 2010-Nov
A paper examined how enhanced skills could improve productivity and performance in the healthcare sector.
Source: Kate Crosswaite, Nicola Hall and Gary Lawson, with Ian Wheeler and Fionnuala Palmer, Understanding the Contribution of Skills to Productivity in the UK Health Sector, Skills for Health
Links: Paper
Date: 2010-Aug
A report said that healthcare assistants were a key group of workers within the National Health Service – one that made an under-rated but distinctive contribution to patient care.
Source: Ian Kessler et al., The Nature and Consequences of Support Workers in a Hospital Setting, National Institute for Health Research/London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
Links: Report | NIHR press release
Date: 2010-Jul
The report of an independent review examined the impact of the European Working Time Directive impact on the quality of medical training in England. It identified ways in which training could be improved by changing working practices and taking greater advantage of the big increase in the number of consultants working in the National Health Service.
Source: John Temple, Time for Training: A review of the impact of the European Working Time Directive on the quality of training, Department of Health
Links: Report | Hansard | DH press release | BMA press release | NHS Employers press release | TUC press release
Date: 2010-Jun
A report called for doctors to take up leadership positions in medicine and in public life in order to accelerate improvement in health outcomes.
Source: Future Physicians: Changing doctors in changing times, Royal College of Physicians
Links: Report | RCP press release
Date: 2010-May
An article examined the main trends in nurse migration to the United Kingdom, and highlighted the importance of state policy as a major influence shaping employer utilization of migrant nurses. The introduction of the points-based immigration system was considered, along with the consequences for migrant nurses, employers, and trade unions.
Source: Stephen Bach, 'Managed migration? Nurse recruitment and the consequences of state policy', Industrial Relations Journal, Volume 41 Issue 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2010-May
A report by a committee of MPs said that the government should – as a matter of extreme urgency – press for change to the relevant European Union Directive in order to enable the General Medical Council to test the clinical competence of overseas doctors and to undertake systematic testing of language skills.
Source: The Use of Overseas Doctors in Providing Out-of-Hours Services, Fifth Report (Session 2009-10), HC 441, House of Commons Health Select Committee/TSO
Links: Report | NHS Confederation press release | Guardian report | Pulse report
Date: 2010-Apr
The report was published of a government-appointed commission on the future of nursing and midwifery in England. It said that nurses and midwives needed to renew their pledge to society to deliver high-quality, compassionate care – and needed to be better supported to do so by their employers.
Source: Front Line Care, Prime Minister's Commission on the Future of Nursing and Midwifery in England
Links: Report | Hansard | RCN press release | NHS Employers press release | Patients Association press release | Nursing Times report
Date: 2010-Mar
A literature review examined the socio-economic benefits that could be attributed to nursing and midwifery.
Source: Jenny Caird et al., The Socioeconomic Value of Nursing and Midwifery: A rapid systematic review of reviews, Report 1801, EPPI-Centre/Social Science Research Unit/Institute of Education/University of London
Links: Report | IOE press release
Date: 2010-Mar
A report examined ways to encourage employee engagement in the National Health Service. It considered the foundation trust model for hospitals, whereby hospitals effectively became mutual businesses owned and governed by stakeholders including patients, the local community, and employees. More needed to be done to make the most of this type of structure.
Source: Jonathan Michie et al., A Mutual Health Service, Oxford Centre for Mutual and Employee-Owned Business/Kellogg College/ University of Oxford
Links: Report | Oxford University press release
Date: 2010-Mar
A report by an official Advisory Group made proposals designed to raise the standards of senior National Health Service managers. It developed a framework to address poorly performing managers, and to prevent them from moving on to other NHS organizations inappropriately.
Source: Advisory Group on Assuring the Quality of Senior NHS Managers, Assuring the Quality of Senior NHS Managers, Department of Health
Links: Report | Research report
Date: 2010-Feb
